Gestalt and schema theories (week 5)

Gestalt Theory

In Gestalt theory, the statement The whole is different from the sum of its parts means that our
visual perception is a result of organizing elements or form to create a wholeness.

Here are the 5 laws that are essential to our understanding of the theory:

1. The law of proximity

In the law of proximity, our brain tends to associate objects that are closer together than those
that are far apart. The two birds hanging on the wire on the right side are grouped together as
they are viewed as the same species than the one hanging on the left side of the wire.

2. The law of similarity

The law of similarity states that the brain will select the simplest and most stable form to
concentrate on. To make it simple, the brain will try to group similar things together. The people
in the photo above are grouped together because of the similar hair colour they have, the black
shirt and perhaps, the fair complexion. Since they share many similar features, the brain will
group them as siblings or a family.

3. The law of common fate

This law is functioned to create direction and decrease a viewers tension. Look at the picture
above. The brain tends to group all the socks together because they are all pointing to the bottom
right in a downward direction. If one of the sock was hung up in the opposite direction, then the
brain will seclude it from the others.

4. The law of pragnanz

In the law of pragnanz, our brain tries to find the most simplest way to identify and recognize
something. No matter how much the cupboard above looks a bit distorted, we will still recognize
it as a cupboard because the brain creates an arrangement that is acceptable for us to understand.
5. The law of closure

The law of closure seeks completeness. A shape or line that is incomplete will cause the brain to
work harder to fill in the gap to create subtle effects; a wholeness. Similarly, when we look at the
image above, the brain tries to correct the image or in other words, manipulate our perception so
as a result, we will automatically see it as a smiley face.

Schema Theory

According to Tracey, D.H and Morrow, L.M (2006), a schema refers to knowledge and the way
it is organized in the mind. In other words, it is the mental structure or idea that helps us to
interpret information.

To help further my understanding in this theory, I have completed the tasked where I am to
provide a presentation topic to a group of children between the ages of 8 to 10 years old. The
topic is about fire safety and how to prevent fire accidents at home. Now, assuming that I was
told to deliver the presentation, the two visual schemas that I have chosen which helps to frame
my topic for the children are as seen below:

The reason why I chose these two as my visual schemas is simply because even if a child has
never been in a fire situation before, the child will still have schema for a fire and firefighter. The
child could recognize both a fire and a firefighter from reading story books, watching cartoons
and so forth. They have a schema for it which means they have the idea or knowledge for
everything they know about fire and firefighter which includes fire trucks, fire extinguishers or
even a dalmation (dog) that is usually associated with firefighters. These two pictures when
shown together, makes up a connection which makes it easier for children to remind them of
what they already know prior to seeing the presentation itself, so it gives them an idea that the
presentation is about fire.

The schematic process is divided into two levels; the top and lower level. The top level of the
schematic level is basically the general structure that gives us an understanding about a situation.
The lower level is the slots or terminals that can change. Take the firefighter as an example. The
top level here are the fire-protection coat, the water hose and the fire helmet. The lower level are
for example, the colour of the fire-protection coat that can be yellow, brown, grey or even orange
and instead of a fireman, I could have used an image of a firewomen but they would still
recognize her as a firefighter. The schemas I have chosen have a very low level of cognitive
effect because they are familiar and easily understood, therefore they are congruous.

By applying all these theories we are able to analyse how the mind works and how the visual
world communicates with us. Both the Gestalt effect and Schema theories are useful especially
to career fields like advertising or graphic designing because it helps them to successfully
capture our immediate attention.

References

Woo, C. W. H. (2010). Analyzing Visual Communication. Brunei Darussalam: Universiti Brunei

Darussalam.

Woo, C. W. H. (2010). Gestalt effect and schema theory. [Ppt]. Retrieved from Universiti Brunei
Darussalam.

Tracey, D.H. and Morrow, L.M. (2006). Schema Theory.An introduction to theories and models
(pp.51-54). New York: Guildford press. Retrieved June 21, 2010. from University Brunei
Darussalam Ebrary Books website.

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Posted by sweetdiscreet | September 2, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Visual syntax, semantics and pragmatics: Structure,

meaning and context (Week 4)
Semiotics is divided into three very important areas in visual communication: syntax, semantics
and pragmatics. Lets try to get a deeper understanding of each. According to Lester (2006),
syntatics is the study of the ways signs are combined with each other to form complex messages.
To make it simpler, syntax is the way signs are organized and formed in order to create an image
that conveys a message. Here is an example
This is one of the latest Louis Vuitton advertisements. This advertisement features a father and
daughter spending time together in the great outdoors. The warm colours of yellow and orange
with shades of red give us the impression that it is warm, cozy and perhaps even exciting. Their
postures make it seem that they feel really relaxed and it also shows how much they are enjoying
themselves. Even the natural scenery makes it looks absolutely breathtaking and mesmerizing.
All these signs when combined together, tell a story or simply convey a message. This travel
advertisement successfully combines all the signs together and with that, they simply make travel
look exceedingly desirable.

Now lets have a look at semantics. Semantics is an area of semiotics in which the researchers
attempt to determine the significance of signs within and throughout various cultures (Lester,
2006, para.29). From what I can understand, in semantics, the choice of elements (words,
musical notes, visual elements, etc) are very much needed in order to create a meaning or
understand what the image is all about. It basically deals with what these elements connotes.
Here is an example

So what can we tell about the image? Obviously its a photo taken of a beach. But what more can
we say about it other than the clear water, green trees and the blue sky? Many thoughts are
probably rushing through our heads thinking that this might be a vacation photo of some sort, or
it might be a photo of Phuket island in Thailand or it could be a photo taken of a beach before it
was polluted. This tells us that by just showing the visual image alone is not enough to get a
complete understanding of the whole image itself. As noted by Roland Barthes The text loads
the image, burdening it with a culture, a moral, and imagination.

Pragmatics is the study of the origin, common uses and communicative effects of signs (Lester,
2006, para.29). This is basically the use of signs in social context to produce and comprehend
meanings. Take this as an example.
The above TV advertisement shows a beautiful woman holding a can of Coke which sends us a
message that we could be as cool as her only if we drink Coca cola Zero. However, this
advertisement was banned after several weeks of its release on TV. The reason for this is because
the ad also sends a message to the viewers that it might as well promote casual intercourse for
men. Although the ad was not intended to project women as sex objects, the viewers,
particularly the female community might find it very offensive as it also suggests that women
should be available for sex whenever men want it. From here it is safe to say that the advertisers
might not read the signs the same way as the women did because of the different context
involved.

As for the conclusion, the three aspects of visual communication are important because it tells us
that both visual and verbal communication when combined together, creates a context that links
all the signs together to form a meaning.

References

Lester, P.M. (2006). Syntactic theory of Visual Communication. Retrieved June 17, 2010 from
Communication Faulty of Fullerton University.
http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/lester/writings/viscomtheory.html

Woo, C. W. H. (2010). Analyzing Visual Communication. Brunei Darussalam: Universiti Brunei

Darussalam.

Woo, C. W. H. (2010). Visual Syntax, Semantics and Pragmatics: Structure, Meaning &
Context.(PPT). Retrieved from Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
Posted by sweetdiscreet | August 29, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Semiotics revisited (Week 3)

We learn from semiotics that we live in a world filled with signs. What is semiotics?. According
to Daniel Chandler (2007), Semiotics involves the study not only of what we refer to as signs in
everyday speech, but of anything which stands for something else. One of the broadest
definition however, is that of Umberto Eco, who states that semiotics is concerned with
everything that can be taken as a sign (Woo, 2010) . This tells us that we could be surrounded
by more than two or three signs right now. What makes up a sign? Here are the two things that
are essential to our understanding of what a sign is:

Signifier-The word, sound or image.

SignifiedThe concept or meaning that is indicated by the signifier.

So, the combination of both the signifier and the signified form a sign.

Heres a quick example,

The picture above is a very popular iconic symbol (sign in saussurian terminology). The image
of the bird itself is the signifier and the signified is a white dove. This is only the denotation. It
describes the commonsense or literal meaning of the sign. Connotation is basically the meaning
that extends beyond the literal definition. So, the connotation of the sign here is purity, peace and
love.
To further my understanding of semiotics and its importance in the world we inhabit, we have
been assigned to create a sketch to entice food lovers to visit Brunei. If I had to imagine myself
as a graphic designer for Bruneis tourism board, this is what I would have done

Here, I have drawn five signifiers namely, Ambuyat, Kelupis, Penyaram, Kuih cincin and Pulut
panggang to signify Brunei Delicacies. As you can see in the sketch, it denotes the 5 local
delicacies, a smiling man and woman both wearing Malay traditional clothings, and right in the
middle there is a sketch of the Bruneis water village or Kampong Ayer with two boats crossing
the river. My sketch connotes M.I.B (Melayu Islam Beraja) as the ideology of Brunei. The
cultural code that links Brunei ideology to the signifiers is the water village which not only
connotes a part of Bruneis unique heritage but also gives a sense of Malay culture and
traditions.

Roland Barthes mentioned that It is a common practice for the captions to news photographs to
tell us, in words, exactly how the subjects expression ought to be read (Chandler, 2007,p.204).
That being said, it is understood that without using any anchorage an individuals interpretation
of the meaning of a certain image will be different from the others or may vary from what the
image is really trying to convey. So, to ensure that the intended meaning is well received, an
anchor plays an important part in constructing the image. In my sketch, Get a TASTE of
Bruneis culture is the anchor which links all the five signifiers together to signify Bruneis
uniqueness as these particular delicacies can only be found in Brunei.

References:

Chandler, Daniel (2007). Semiotics: The Basics, second edition. Routledge, London and New
York: Taylor & Francis Group.

Woo, C. W. H. (2010). Analyzing Visual Communication. Published by University Brunei

Darussalam, Brunei Darussalam.

Chandler, D. (2009). Semiotics For Beginners. Retrieved August, 21, 2010, from Prifysgol
Aberystwyth University Website: http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/

Posted by sweetdiscreet | August 22, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

What is seen and perceived may not be the whole truth

(Week 1&2)
Society and culture have done a tremendous job at creating ideologies for us. How we should
live, think or what is right or wrong is determined by what many people called common sense.
But is it common sense to assume that a female driver is a bad at driving compared to a male
driver? I think not. However due to the idea that most people think so, I would give a standing
ovation to the media. The media has done well in its role of manipulating our minds. It basically
shapes our beliefs, values, decisions and of course, our perceptions. I remember from last weeks
lecture when Dr.Chris showed us a picture of a male model on the front cover of a magazine and
when he asked us if he was a real man, I thought that the question was just plain silly.
However, I was wrong. It was such a good question that got me thinking and now Ive arrived at
my current answer which would be a No. I would assume that Dr. Chris is not a real man
because he does not show as much masculinity as the man on the magazine and to top that off, he
does not have six pack abs. So, he is not a real man but is simply just a man. This is a clear
example of how the media is trying to represent what a real man should be.
Now lets think about how we perceive others. How often have you heard phrases like We see
what we want to see (Mynatt & Doherty, 2002, p.91). When we focus on someones negative or
unattractive qualities, then we will start to notice more and more of those qualities. However, if
we choose to focus on their positive and attractive qualities we will notice more of their
attractive qualities, and they will suddenly become a very attractive person to us. So basically
since we always get to choose how we see and perceive a person, place or a situation, this means
that our perception determines our experience.

Earlier today I was watching my currently favorite television series called Pretty Little Liars
and I was intrigued by one of the characters in the series. His name is Toby Cavanaugh, the
misunderstood bad guy. The reason I chose this as my example is because we cannot deny that
we are under the influence of the media especially through television viewing. Ideologies that
are being presented about certain stereotypes in television could reinforce any thoughts we may
have about a person in real life. So as viewers, we tend to use the knowledge gained to perceive
the people we see everyday.

Look at the picture above. The girl on the left is Emily and the guy looking at her is Toby. Here,
you could see that Emily is not comfortable around him let alone having him as her Chemistry
lab partner. Notice how he is looking at her, do you find that a bit creepy? If youre watching the
series then you would probably say Creepy!. Everybody in their school perceived Toby to be a
freak because of the way he is. Maybe it could also be that we see certain traits in him that have
been hardwired into our brain to automatically come to the conclusion that this is a bad person.
Just like everyone else, Emily initially perceived Toby to be someone who is unfriendly, cold
and might be dangerous.

But is he really what he seems?

The second picture shows something different. Here we could see that Emily is smiling and she
seems to be having a fun conversation with him. If you follow the series, you will start to realize
how nice and sweet Toby really is. What does this tell us? Did Emily choose to perceive Toby as
a bad person at first? Does this tell us that Emilys initial perceptions of Toby was wrong?

Thanks to the media, since we are forced to ingest whatever information that they have given us,
we now could identify and criticize stereotypes without even thinking about it as it comes so
naturally to us. We often talk to people whom we perceive to be friendly without having
anything to guide us but the way that particular person presents him or herself. Almost every
single day when we come into contact with people, we immediately develop a thought on who
they are based upon things they say or do. In other words, we judge a person as to who he or she
is because of our perceptions. Sometimes we are right and other times we could not be further
away from the truth. Perception is connected with belief (Hamlyn, 1996, p.35). So bare in mind
that we can choose to believe or ignore our perception of others. Just because some idea we have
about a certain thing is part of common sense, it does not necessarily mean that it is true.Well
then, I guess this is how perception works.

Reference (Book) :

Clifford Mynatt, Michael Doherty (2002), Understanding human behaviour, 2nd edition. United
States of America: Allyn & Bacon.

Hamlyn, D.W (David Walter) ,1996. Understanding perception: the concept and its conditions.
England: Avebury.

Posted by sweetdiscreet | August 12, 2010 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

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